Wrestlers do the dirty work

Five of only seven on Scotia team will compete in sectionals this weekend

By Ben Meyers

Published 9:54 pm, Thursday, February 9, 2012

Photo: Philip Kamrass

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Scotia-Glenville wrestlers, from left to right, Joe Graham, Josh Culora, Jon Dipace, Nick Leffler and Kyle Merritt take a break during a scrimmage at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School on Tuesday Feb. 7, 2012 in Burnt Hills, NY. (Philip Kamrass / Times Union ) less

Scotia-Glenville wrestlers, from left to right, Joe Graham, Josh Culora, Jon Dipace, Nick Leffler and Kyle Merritt take a break during a scrimmage at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School on Tuesday Feb. 7, ... more

Scotia-Glenville wrestlers, from left to right, Josh Culora, Joe Graham, Jon Dipace, Nick Leffler and Kyle Merritt take a break during a scrimmage at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School on Tuesday Feb. 7, 2012 in Burnt Hills, NY. (Philip Kamrass / Times Union ) less

Scotia-Glenville wrestlers, from left to right, Josh Culora, Joe Graham, Jon Dipace, Nick Leffler and Kyle Merritt take a break during a scrimmage at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School on Tuesday Feb. 7, ... more

SCOTIA — Nick Leffler set up and mopped mats before home matches all season.

The Scotia-Glenville senior did scut work reserved for freshmen because he had to. In a school of more than 600, only seven wrestlers are on the team.

"It takes five guys to roll each one up and we need three mats, and each mat uses the only two carts," Leffler said about setting up. "Taping, mopping, setting up chairs, scoring table and checking the bleachers all has to be done by us. As a team we grew a lot closer because of stuff like that, not like teams with 50 or 60 guys."

The Tartans have overcome a lot thanks to taking care of the little things. Five of them are in the Section II Division I Tournament beginning today at Glens Falls Civic Center.

"We didn't think that we would have this kind of success," first-year head coach Ryan Patrie said. "All year they have been doing the work of teams with 25, 30, or 40 wrestlers. Junior and senior year is supposed to be a time when you get to watch the freshmen go out and set things up, but these guys have swallowed their pride and taken care of little things."

Scotia, a school with 648 students for classification purposes, is led by 195-pound No. 2 seed John DiPace, who won the Class B title last week. Josh Culora, 34-10 on the season, is the No. 3 seed in the 126-pound weight division and a Class B champion.

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At a glance

Schedule for the tournament, to be held at Glens Falls Civic Center:

Friday

Opening session: 11:30 a.m.

Quarterfinals: 4 p.m.

Wrestlebacks, first round: 5:30 p.m.

Saturday

Semifinals: 10 a.m.

Wrestlebacks, three rounds (following semifinals): 11:30 a.m.

Consolation finals: 2 p.m.

Section II finals, Division I and II: 6 p.m.

For updates of the tournaments go to Sidelines at http://blog.timesunion.com/sidelines, or follow Ben Meyers on Twitter @BenMeyers0

Kyle Merritt (138), Leffler (145), and Joe Graham (220) qualified for the state qualifier. There is little difference in the weights of each wrestler, making practicing against each other possible to compensate for a lack of bodies.

"We know how the other guys wrestle," Culora, last season's Class B champion, said. "We can watch a match with another guy in it and see things from the side that might get missed. We each know what the others can do. We are all coaches for each other."

Throughout the season there have been trials for the small roster. Injuries, academics and personal reasons trimmed the opening 14-man squad in half. Every match this season was impossible for the Tartans to win before it started. They always forfeited more matches than they actually wrestled. Early in the season, Scotia was forced to give up a slot in a dual meet tournament due to the lack of wrestlers. All of that galvanized the team.

"They have had their backs against the wall the whole year. I can't imagine what it is like warming up in a gym that is full of people with only five or six guys in uniform," Patrie said. "They have stuck together and stayed motivated."

There are losses still, but the ability to rally is concentrated.

"You want everyone to succeed, but the best part is actually when someone fails," Leffler said. "We can all get behind each other faster and support each other better because there are fewer of us. No one gets lost."

On Friday, five Tartans will be part of the ceremony that starts the Section II Tournament. As they walk across the prepared mats they know the little things it took to set the whole thing up.